Networks are built of pipes and pumps, but it is the people operating them that make the difference. To train them, the D-LeaP or Danube Learning Partnership, supported by the Danube Water Program and implemented by IAWD and its partners, the national water associations, is the place to go.  D-LeaP provides technical and management know-how in the many local languages of the region, covering the full theme spectrum of utility operation. One especially hot theme is energy efficiency, and the related progam is in great demand. Two courses are currently on in Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a peek inside those gives a very good idea of the anatomy and value of D-LeaP. 

In Bosnia, the Aquasan Network leads the implementation of the D-LeaP Program for Energy Efficiency improvement in Public Utility Companies, with 24 participants from eleven water utilities taking part in three two-day workshops, the first held on 15 and 16 May 2024 in Banja Luka. It consisted of an introductory session and five sessions covering the regulatory framework, theoretical and practical insights into energy audits, evaluations of existing pumping stations, financial and economic aspects, and project design for new pumping stations.

A similar kick-off session was hosted by the Bulgarian Water Association in Sofia in early March, with 15 representatives from twelve public utilities sitting down with Hub trainers. 

Underlining the importance of the program, BWA President Ivan Ivanov and IAWD representatives Katerina Schilling and Elisabeta Poci and Vesna Muslic attended the opening session. Then the participants delved into a  three-day program aimed at supplying them with methods and tools for energy efficiency improvement as well as to teach them about about the necessary data and procedures to develop energy reviews of pumping stations in their particular PUCs. 

Both Hubs will continue with the delivery of the rest of the workshops planned as part of the D-LeaP Energy Efficiency Program. We are grateful for the enthusiasm of the participants and the keen interest of utilities everywhere in the region to improve their performance, and we invite those interested in D-LeaP to follow the link below for in-depth information on our D-LeaP Hubs and their programs: The challenges are getting bigger. Let’s meet them by getting smarter!